Felipe Gutierrez, False Statement, Oklahoma 2019

Felipe Gutierrez, 48, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for making a false statement to the United States Department of Labor about payments from Mexican workers, announced United States Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

Felipe Gutierrez, the owner of Felipe's Lawn Care, a local lawn care company in Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty on March 18, 2019, to making a false statement about his employment of Mexican workers.

According to court records, Gutierrez submitted an H-2B Application for Temporary Employment Certification to the DOL in order to obtain permission to hire workers from Mexico. He falsely represented on the form that he had not sought or received any payment of any kind from these prospective workers.

In reality, Gutierrez had demanded and received payment from them. He used various methods to ensure he received these illegal payments, including participating in an assault upon one employee that caused serious bodily injury.

U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron heard testimony at the sentencing hearing and sentenced Gutierrez to 12 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $74,800 in restitution to the Mexican workers from whom he procured these illegal fees.

This case was the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Division and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry.

At the time of sentencing, the court records showed that the exact date of the crime was not explicitly stated in the source. Therefore, we used the date the defendant pleaded guilty, which is March 18, 2019, and the sentencing date, which is not explicitly stated in the source. However, it is implied to be after the guilty plea date.

The mandatory facts for this article are:

• Defendant: Felipe Gutierrez
• Criminal charge: Making a false statement to the United States Department of Labor
• City and state: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Exact date: March 18, 2019 (guilty plea date)
• Sentence: 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and $74,800 in restitution

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/owner-lawn-care-company-sentenced-year-prison-false-statement-about-payments-mexican